Touch
by MizzDelirious
Summary: She reached up and tried to touch him. He, a comprehensible manifestation of human behavior and she, a mere mortal girl. The thought almost had him rolling next to her in the grass. And then, she touched him.


MD: I do not own any of Neil Gaiman's creations. I do not own T.M.Revolution's "Salsa Bazaar" either. I do, however, own the girl and the plot line. Enjoy!

* * *

Suddenly tripping on a pebble  
All my worries about love end  
I want to throw away this serious life  
Now I send out these magic words to you

_She blinked and reached out, as if to touch the being before her. The man, for it was definitely male if not human, twitched his head slightly to the side. He was tall, very tall… and very beautiful too. He seemed to be a part of the night sky. He had very contrasting features. His hair was black, but his skin was pale and his eyes shone like twin stars. He wore a large black cloak that seemed to swallow up the rest of his body. And he was very muscular. She could at least tell that much. She reached up again, quite determined to touch this man-creature despite his lacking of a physical body. A smile twitched at the edge of his lips as he watched._

Peek-a-Boo chant this spell  
Peek-a-Woo with all your feelings

_He was quite amused. He came upon this mortal girl while on his duties. She was laying on her back on a hill when he found her. Her arms were folded behind her head, and her legs were stretched out. She seemed to be enjoying the view of the night sky rather than of the city below her. She was about to sleep and he was about to do what he was meant to do when she opened her eyes. One moment, she was fighting to stay conscious. The next, she was peering up at him like he was the most interesting thing in the world. The next thing she did next almost made him burst in laughter. She reached up and tried to touch him. Him, a comprehensible manifestation of human behavior and she, a mere mortal girl. The thought almost had him rolling next to her in the grass. And then, she touched him._

All you have to do is believe  
and your God will make it happen  
Each of the tears you have counted  
will now bring you happiness Peek-a-Boo

'_Hello, who are you?' 'I am Dream.' 'Hello, Dream. I am…' 'How are you able to touch me?' '…I don't know.' '…' 'You have very soft hands, Mr. Dream.' '…Just Dream.' 'Okay, Dream, then. You have very soft hands.' '…Thank you.' 'Your welcome.' '…' 'Mr., I mean, Dream, what are you exactly?' 'Exactly? I am a manifestation of human nature.' 'Ah, so you are literally Dream?' 'Yes.' 'Hmm. Dream, is God real?' '…' 'Dream?' 'Yes, God is real.' 'Ah… does that mean Bast wasn't real?' 'Oh, Bast was real also.' 'How does that work?' 'Humans work.' 'Eh?' 'All gods were once real. It all depends on humans. Once humans stop believing then, they die and disappear. New ones are born in the same manner.' 'Cool.'_

The pink elephant starts to dance  
The cat smiles and vanishes  
Even though the sun rises and sets  
I heard I'm the one going around (town)

_She sat up now, still holding onto Dream's hand. His pale, pale hand. A shock of white against his blue-black cloak. I feel like Alice, she thought, I need a Cheshire cat. She blinked again, trying to sort through her sudden burst of random thought. And a dancing elephant. The world around them suddenly shifted. She scooted closer to him, startled by the temporary white-ness of their scenery. Dream simply looked around with slight interest. Color began to leak back into the world. Splashes of green and yellow. They were still on a hill, though the sky had gone from night to a spectacular sunrise. She blinked again, this time because of the abrupt appearance of bright light. Vibrations began to shake the ground, soft at first then getting louder and louder. Finally, out of the nearby forest , which had apparently sprung out of nowhere, pink elephants in yellow tutus danced about. She simply stared, speechless at the sight in front of her. 'This is what you get for touching the Dream-King.' a voice said to her. She turned to see a fat purple cat curled quite happily on a rock. It smiled at her with yellow eyes as its body began to disappear. First the tail, then the legs, then the body, the face, the head, the ears… and finally, the smile. She gaped, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Dream simply nodded as if to say, 'Ah, I understand everything now.'_

Peek-a-Boo chant this spell  
Peek-a-Woo let's hum

_Dream did understand everything now. They were in the girl's dream. That's why she was able to touch him. They were all in her dream. Hence the dancing elephants and the Cheshire Cat. He glanced down at said girl. She was still holding his hand, but now she was closer, having scooted towards Dream in her surprise. 'Dream?' 'What?' 'We're in a dream, aren't we? Mine, I think.' He nodded. She was surprisingly bright for one so young. She titled her chin up to look at him. Her eyes shone like those of a sweet, innocent child. 'How old are you?' 'Fifteen. You?' 'As old as when the first being was able to dream.' 'Ah.' She nodded and asked no more. Dream was surprised. From his knowledge of young ones, even one as old as this one, they often never stopped asking questions. He soon found himself saying 'You aren't as talkative as those you're age.' The girl shrugged. 'Why question when I probably won't understand anyways? Better to ask good questions and accept whatever answer you get.' '…You are wise, little one.'_

When you just can't believe in this  
because you're so lonely  
Embrace the God who never stops counting (the tears)  
in your hands Peek-a-Boo

_She sighed, looking out at the town below her. Dream had shifted so that he sat next to her, rather than looming over her. She almost imagined his cloak swallowing her up, but then she remembered that she was dreaming, and she had better not think of something like that, lest it really happen. 'Dream?' '…' 'How long have you known me?' 'Since you were born.' 'So you know all the dreams I've had?' '…Yes.' 'Then you know my current dilemma.' 'You don't believe in God as much as you feel you should.' She nodded. 'Am I bad?' 'You are human.' She nodded. Tears appeared in the corner of her eyes, as if that was the exact reply that she had been waiting for all her life. She pushed herself onto her knees, untangling her hand from his. Dream watched but made no motion to move. She crawled behind him, placed her hands over his eyes and 'Peek-a-boo.'_

The things that are invisible  
are very important! Don't You Know?  
It's okay if your smile stops counting (the tears)  
Don't forget that! Peek-a-Boo

'_I'm gong to ask you three questions, and then you'll be able to see again.' Dream sighed. This girl was full of surprises. 'First question: What is the most important thing in the world?' 'Everything you cannot see.' 'What is the most powerful thing in the world?' 'Belief.' 'What makes Hell so powerful?' 'Dreams.' He felt the girl remove her satin-soft hands from his face. When he opened his eyes, she was sitting beside him again, her hand gently entwined with his again. Her gaze wasn't on the city before them, nor the sky above them. They seemed to rest where sky and city met, a horizon of bright, artificial lighting and dark, natural night. 'You do not look at one thing, but at everything, and accept it all for what it is.' The girl smiled, never removing her gaze from the horizon. 'I am only human.'_

All you have to do is believe  
and your God will make it happen  
You will be holding the God who never stops counting (the tears)  
In your hands Peek-a-Boo

'_You are dying.' 'Yep.' 'Cancer?' 'I don't know. I wouldn't let them tell me what it was.' 'You are not mourning.' '…God stopped counting my tears, so I stopped giving them.' '…' 'When I wake up, when this dream is over, I'll be dead, won't I?' '…Yes.' 'Was I interesting to you?' '…Yes.' 'Good. At least I was able to entertain someone before I died.' 'We are in a dream.' 'Yes, so this is all in my head… but I don't think I made you up. I don't think I ever could.' '…If you had lived, you would have been one of mine.' 'A dreamer? A writer. A bohemian. Hmm, perhaps.' 'You would have been able see me whenever you wanted.' 'As one of your own? Perhaps. Heh, are you regretting my impending doom more than I am?' '…I will mourn the loss of someone interesting.' '…Cool.' 'Mortals like you come only once in a very, very long while.' 'That must be a long while coming from one so well-aged as you.' '…I suppose so.' 'Dream?' 'Morpheus.' '…Morpheus. I think I'm ready to wake up now.' Calm, aged eyes met young, bright ones. 'The world will be a lesser place without your presence.' 'Hah! So says the clam.' A young woman approached the pair. She looked to be in her early twenties. She had a shock of black hair, pale skin, and playful eyes. She wore black pants, black shoes, a black tank top, and a silver ankh necklace swung from her neck. 'Hiya, honey! It's time for you to go.' Morpheus stood first and pulled his companion up. She glanced first at the girl then at him. 'You're siblings.' 'Wow, you're smart!' 'I like your brother. He was nice to me.' 'Really? He usually isn't the most social of us.' Two pairs of musical, female laughter filled the air. 'Well, I suppose I should say good-bye.' 'Yes, I think you should.' The girl turned to Dream, this time taking both of his hands into hers. She looked up at him, her face calm and clear. 'Thank you for spending the day with me, Morpheus the Dream King.' Morpheus bowed, placing a kiss upon her knuckles. 'It was my honor.' She let go of his hands and turned to the other girl. 'Take my hand.' '…Will I be able to see your brother again?' 'Perhaps.' She shrugged. She placed one hand in Death's, and blew Dream a kiss with the other. 'bye-bye…'_


End file.
